


Nightmare Marionette

by MickiBlay



Category: NiGHTS into Dreams, ナイツ 〜星降る夜の物語〜 | NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams (Video Game)
Genre: Characters and such will make more sense once I get around to posting Bio's about them, Gen, Nothing is too graphic but could still be a little horrifying
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-19
Updated: 2020-07-20
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:28:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,386
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25385308
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MickiBlay/pseuds/MickiBlay





	1. Marionette Mask

Soft, terrified sniffles echo through the throne room of the realm of Nightmare. Blay was careless. She ventured off by herself into a Nightopia with very little water to defend herself with, and she was captured with relative ease. She was brought before Draken, who reached and grabbed her with little hesitation, pinning her against a pillar with one hand. She tried to struggle out of his grip, but quickly locked up in fear as she was unable to move.

  
"Please... Just... Let me go..." She whimpered softly, staring at Draken with wide, tear-filled eyes. However, all she saw was a cold, disapproving scowl as he materialized a strange mask in his free hand.

  
"Your early life spent in the Waking World has made you forget your purpose in existence." He states coldly, firmly pressing the mask to her face. "You need proper guidance to remember what your true purpose is."

  
She began to twitch and writhe in pain as a searing heat grafted the mask to her skin. She tried to scream, but she couldn't force sound out. Her body quickly grew limp as control was ripped away from her, and she became a prisoner in her own mind. Draken released his iron grip on her, letting her slowly fall to the ground, where she layed like a ragdoll.

  
"Now... Rise up and kneel before your Master." He commands, watching as her body stood to life like a marionette, kneeling before him with an unnaturally relaxed smoothness. He grinned wickedly, bending down low to lift her chin with a single finger so as she could look into his eyes. "There is no need to worry for failure, now, my dear. All you have to do is watch, and this mask will show you everything you need to do. You will become the perfect servant in no time."

  
Those words made her feel sick. She wanted to tear away, wanted to kick and scream. She felt disconnected from her own body. No matter how hard she tried to will it, she couldn't cause any movement. She couldn't even cry. To his will, her body stood up straight, hanging idly in the air like a puppet on display.

  
"Most impressive, Lord Draken." Suit comments with a hint of wonder. While Blay was a more gentle soul, he still expected her to put up a little bit longer of a fight, but she seemed to succumb almost immediately to Draken's will. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched a familiar blur of orange rush towards her at full speed, pushing his face up meer centimeters from hers.

  
"Lookit her! She's like a li'l doll on display! What kinda use could she have 'side from sittin' around lookin' pretty?" Jouvor jeers, a thin plume of smoke snaking out from between his teeth, blowing into her now masked face. With a sinister chuckle, Draken snapped his fingers, summoning a pool of water nearby. At a silent command, Blay's arm raised, and the water shot towards Jouvor, almost immediately violently pinning him to the wall. In shock, he attempted to burn it away, but the steam simply condensed onto him, threatening to cut him to ribbons. Then as quickly as the attack happened, she released him, the water rolling off and evaporating.

  
"Her time spent in the Waking World had left her soft. She wields a versatile and impressive weapon, but refused to utilize it to higher potentials." Draken remarked with a sadistic, yet eerily calm glee as she floated to his side. He looked down upon her with great pride of his work. "As I stated, all she needs is proper guidance, and she will be molded into a brilliant Nightmare."


	2. The Display

Val floated about aimlessly through Nightmare, letting out a large yawn. He was feeling a little groggy, having just woken up from a nap. Things have been super quiet around for the past couple of nights, so he was feeling pretty lazy. He idly followed the swirls of darkness around until he could hear a couple of familiar voices, followed by the sound of... Construction?

  
"I don't see why I gotta be yer pack mule fer this stupid display case!"

  
"Because, as usual, you questioned Lord Draken's methods."

  
Val peaked around the corner to see Suit overseeing his Clubs in a construction project of some kind, with Jouvor stuck carrying around a heavy bundle of supplies.

  
"Draken can create whatever he wants with a snap of his fingers! Why make us do all the work?!" Jouvor complained with a growl, smoke pouring through his teeth from the exertion.

  
"Correction; He is making you do the work. Again, because you questioned him. I merely volunteered so as to make sure it got done properly." Suit answered with a hard sigh, before turning to see Val floating over.

  
"Hey, what's up with th' big glass box?" He asked, looking it up and down. It kinda looked like one of those glass cases he saw in a store back in the Waking World, one that stored a doll inside. But it was a lot bigger. Big enough for him to stand inside of, even.

  
"Draken got 'imself a nifty new toy, 'nd he wanted a fancy box to display 'er in when she wasn't workin'!" Jouvor explained in between grunts as he carried the pieces for the last corner to the Clubs. Val blinked in confusion.

  
"New toy..? Display her..?" He questioned.

  
"Ah, yes, I suppose you haven't seen our newest addition yet, have you?" Val turned around to the familiar sound of Draken's voice behind him, seeing the tall ruler of Nightmare eying the case with a small smirk of approval. A small hint of light blue caught his attention and he looked down...

  
... And caught himself feeling a tightness in his throat. Floating next to Draken was another Nightmaren Val had only seen a couple of times, but she was known to be opposed to Nightmare. Blay, he thinks her name was? But there was an eerie... Puppet like mask on her face. Her posture was an unsettling combination of perfectly straight and totally relaxed - As if her entire body was limp but her head was held up by a string.

  
He couldn't help but stare in a mildly horrified shock at her. From what he saw of her, she was very timid and only acted defensively, someone who was gentle but firm if she needed to be. But there was something about that mask and her posture that seemed... Wrong.

  
"Alright, Draken, her stupid Doll Box is done!" The sound of Jouvor's voice made him snap back to the rest of the world around him. He didn't know how much time had passed, but he looked to see that the display case was indeed done. Tall glass panes were connected together in panels of wrought iron, with a pair of swinging glass double doors in front, and a chair in the center. Draken circled the case, scrutinizing every detail, before making a satisfied nod.

  
"Yes, this display has been put together perfectly. Excellent work, Suit." Draken stated with a smirk as he looked between the two.

  
"WHAT?!" Jouvor exclaimed in rage as Suit simply bowed in thanks. Jouvor's head whipped rapidly between Draken and Suit as he growled, smoke flooding out in a thick cloud. "You know what?! I'm gonna go find some Visitor to terrorize!" He exclaimed in a huff before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

  
"In any case..." Draken started, looking to Blay with a sinister pride. "... This will be the perfect place to safeguard her. Her realm is far too large, and we could easily lose track of her." She made a gracious bow - Again, with movement that seemed too unnatural - before going inside the case, closing the doors behind her, and sitting delicately in the chair, her hands placed daintily in her lap. She sat perfectly still and straight, almost like a life sized doll. It deeply unnerved Val. "Perhaps, soon, we can test her effectiveness against the other Guardians..." Draken's smirk grew wider.


	3. Hope

In the soft valleys of Nightopia, Flai and Sharem sat with each other somberly. Flai was extremely worried - Blay had been missing for several nights now. They looked for her in her Realm, in various Nightopias, in the Dream Gate, but she was nowhere to be seen. Sharem tried her best to keep his spirits up, but she was also pretty concerned.

  
"Maybe... Maybe she found a way back to the Waking World, and just hasn't been able to go back to the Night Dimension yet?" Sharem suggested with a hopeful smile. Flai muttered something in response, but it was too quiet for her to hear, his face buried into his knees. "C'mon, let's go play with the Nightopians, that'll help you feel a little better..." She decided, standing up and offering a hand to help him stand up.

  
"Awww, you kids feeling bored~? Maybe I can play wit'cha!" Their eyes widened as they heard a familiarly sinister voice chide behind them, and they both quickly looked to see Jouvor snickering and ready to pounce. Flai barely had enough time to form a wall of ice to shield Sharem as Jouvor attempted to lunge at her, his claws digging deep into the ice and slowly melting it. The two of them jumped back, Jouvor keeping his eyes to Sharem and chasing after her. Flai attempted to send more ice to the aggressor, when suddenly it seemingly hits an invisible "wall," melting and becoming a puddle on the ground. He looked around, confused, until he saw a familiar hint of blue and teal. But when he turned to look at Blay, he saw her standing idly, staring at him with an eerie looking mask on her face.

  
"Blay..?" He asked hesitantly, reaching a hand out for her. As if on cue, her hand raised up, and Flai barely dodged out of the way as the melted puddle bubbled to life and attempted to lash out at him. He ducked and moved as fast as he could, trying to defend himself with ice, only for control to be ripped away from him and the water used to attack him more and more. "B-Blay, what's going on?!" He stammered out in confusion.

  
"Awww, you sad yer little friend is finally actin' like the Nightmare she supposed to be?" Jouvor jeered, giving Sharem a harsh kick to the gut, sending her recoiling into the ground. "Draken gave 'er a good ol' lesson in etiquette, and I'd say it really stuck!"

  
\---

  
Blay watched helpless as her body relentlessly attacked Flai at Draken's command. Her heart ached as she watched his expression grow more and more helpless, Jouvor's taunts seering into her brain. She despised every second of this. This was worse than her greatest fears or most persistent nightmares - This was an actual living Hell. It felt like she was in a black void, and all she could see through the darkness was what her body was doing. Her heart ached with each passing second, and nothing she could do could soothe her. She was losing hope...

  
Suddenly, she felt a familiar glow, and in her "Mind's Eye" she could see it - Her last Ideya. Most of them had dissolved and absorbed into her body with her transition from Human to Nightmaren, but the Yellow one took the longest to break down. She found it odd, as she always heard that the Red one was the most powerful of the five. Of course, her Red Ideya was relatively small and weak compared to other Visitors. She stared at her Hope, her eyes following every crack. She noticed that the darkness seemed to cling to these cracks, as if feeding off of it... Then she had an idea.

  
No, not just an idea, a realization.

  
The darkness didn't SEEM to be feeding off of her Ideya - It WAS feeding off it. Every time her body was forced to use her power to manipulate water, it was using her Ideya as like a battery. So what would happen if she let herself lose her Hope?

  
There was only one way to find out, and she didn't have anything else to lose...

  
\---

  
Flai and Sharem were in rough states. They were battered, bruised, cut, burnt, and tired, with Jouvor and Blay closing the distance on them. Walls of condensed steam surrounded them, and the only way out led directly to their assailants. Jouvor was giggling with sinister glee while Blay was eerily still and silent, save for slowly floating towards the duo.

  
"C'mon, c'mon, why don'cha stop fighting already? Lookit the smile on Blay's face! She's having a good time! Why not join 'er?" Jouvor snickered, glancing at the puppet. Suddenly, the walls of steam started to waver, and a yellow light lifted out of Blay, before going into Flai's hands. His eyes widened as he heard Blay's voice ring clearly through his head.

  
_"Run, now! Keep my Hope safe!"_

  
Jouvor screeched as the steam dissipated, and tried to charge at the two, but suddenly crashed face first into an ice wall. Flai took the opportunity to grab Sharem by her arm.

  
"C'mon, let's get out of here, quick!" He exclaimed, pulling her to the door. Blay's arm stretched out, half to try to manipulate the water to stop them, and half to try and grab them, but ice formed on her feet, holding her in place. Jouvor shook his head clear just in time to see the two of them escape through the door back to the Dream Gate, likely to find someone who can easily fend him off. He cursed loudly, punching the block of ice he crashed into, when suddenly the world began to shake violently.

  
"Jouvor! Return the puppet to my throne, NOW!" Draken's voice demanded, fury dripping in every word. Jouvor looked to Blay, whistling.

  
"I dunno WHAT you did, but Draken sure sounds pissed! I hope you're ready for what follows next!" He snickers, tearing open a door to Nightmare, watching Blay glide through before following her.

  
\---

  
Val stood in the shadows under the tree, watching the entire fight take place. He felt a horrible weight in his stomach, and he quietly went back to Nightmare to see what would happen next. But he knew he wasn't going to like what he was gonna see.


	4. Punishment

Val peaked from around a corner into the throne room, watching the events unfold in horror. Blay's body was suspended in the air limply, her head tilted up facing the sky like string was attached to the center of the mask. A loud sizzle pierced his ears, the smell of burning flesh assaulted his nose, and he could see a faint hint of smoke creeping from under the mask. He could also swear he could see her fingers twitch very subtly, as if she was trying to writhe in pain. Eventually, the sizzling stopped, and her body fell into Draken's awaiting hand, who held her up with great fury. He glared into the "eyes" of the mask.

  
"I am going to make this transparently clear, you foolish girl. What did you do?" He snarled. His arm trembled in restraint, as if he was trying to keep himself from crushing her completely. A forced, bitter chuckle slowly echoed from her, her voice not appearing to be impeded by the mask.

  
"So the Great Lord Draken is gracing me with the freedom to speak... What an honor..." She lightly slurs out, her voice dripping in sarcasm, followed by pained coughs as he slowly started to squeeze harder.

  
"You only have one more chance to give me an answer, wretch." He hissed, then loosened his grip to allow her to speak.

  
"I merely did what you commanded me to do..." She coughed out. Val could tell that if she didn't have that mask fused to her face, she would be smirking.

  
"What are you-"

  
"Your early life spent in the Waking World has made you forget your purpose in existence... You need proper guidance to remember what your true purpose is..." She quoted with a chuckle. "You deemed my Human half weak, and wanted me to leave it behind... So I casted away what remained of my Ideya as a Visitor... How was I supposed to know that the Ideya was fueling my control over water..?" Her voice continued to ooze sarcasm. Draken's expression grew more furious at those words, realizing that she figured how to turn his own words against him.

  
"USELESS!!!" He booms, throwing her to the ground violently. Val flinched as he watched her bounce and land limply like a discarded toy. Draken then proceeded to pace around the throne, seething.

  
"If I may, my Lord..." Suit started cautiously, stepping back slightly as Draken glared at him, but continued his train of thought. "Is there continued use to have her under the effects of the mask? Or shall I begin searching for a new host for it?"

  
"As much as I would enjoy ripping the Marionette Mask from her face and watching her writhe in agony..." Draken began with a snarl, Val squirming uncomfortably. "... Each mask must be created for one specific individual to work as effectively as it does. That mask will have no effect on, for example, the frost child." He pinched between his eyes, letting out a hard sigh, attempting to compose himself.

  
"I shall escort her back to her Display Case..." Suit offers, slowly approaching where Blay laid, carefully gauging Draken's reaction.

  
"That will be for the best..." He growls quietly, sitting in his throne with a huff. Blay's body then stood up, and followed Suit to her display case. Jouvor watched the two float off, then looked back at Draken.

  
"Why not just get rid of 'er, if she's gonna be useless, now?" He asked with a sadistic curiosity. Draken's tense glare slowly directed at Jouvor, whose grin remained unwavered.

"Because... While she has rendered herself incapable of tormenting the Guardians in any capacity, aside from demoralization... She can still torment Visitors quite effectively. Eventually, it will come so naturally that she will be granted the freedom to utilize the mask as she pleases..." He mused, calming himself down. "... What she has done is merely an inconvenience. I will further mold her over time, possibly grant her new abilities to suit the Marionette Mask..." He insured, though it was more to himself than to Jouvor.

Val then turned away from the corner, slowly sliding down, feeling rocks in his stomach. He was starting to think maybe ditching being Human to join Nightmare was a horrible idea...


	5. Questions

Val wandered about Nightmare, severely restless. He was extremely disturbed about what was happening to Blay, but he knew he couldn't do anything about it. He wanted to terrorize some Visitor to take his mind off things, but none of his Visitors have been dreaming lately.

  
"You have been roaming in circles for quite a while, young Val... Is there purpose to this... Aimlessness?" He froze to the sound of that voice, then tried composing himself as he turned to face Draken looking down at him, whose face was stern but not angry.

  
"None of my usuals have been around lately, and I'm just... Tryin' to find something to do..." Val admitted. He watched Draken think about this, then slowly nod.

  
"Ah, yes... Not as many dreaming as of late... I will admit, I should have anticipated restlessness - Jouvor appears to be growing more and more bored, and is testing my patience..." He pondered, his eyes narrowing.

  
"Why not let him just go out and wreck Nightopia a bit..?" Val asked. Usually that's what happened when Jouvor was being too much to manage.

  
"Because... Suit is currently standing guard over the display, and Jouvor will need to be herded back..." He admitted, sounding like he had regret over this decision. He pinched in between his eyes, letting out a hard sigh. With that, Val came up with an idea.

  
"Why don't I watch over the case while Suit babysits the killer napkin?" He suggested. He watched as Draken paused, looking up, and actually considered the possibility.

  
\---

Val approached the display case with a sort of excitement. He wasn't sure what he could do for her, but he figured at least treating her like she's still an individual and not like a doll could be a good start. But he took a deep breath, calming himself down. He couldn't let any of them know his true intentions involving her - It would make both of their lives an absolute Hell. With better composure, he approached the case, seeing Suit looking up to him.

  
"Lord Draken has given me all of the details. Though I must admit, I find it strange you would choose a job this uneventful. Especially as your boredom stems from not having anything to do..." Suit scrutinized, his eyes lightly squinted. Val figured this would happen. Fortunately, he was ready for it.

  
"I know, I know, it sounds weird. Not really much difference between sittin' around doing nothing and sittin' around watchin' the case do nothin'. But the brain is weird sometimes. Sometimes you can trick yourself into thinking you're doing something even though you really ain't." He took a deep breath, continuing his train of thought. "I also figured it'd be handy to have somethin' that wasn't busy to bounce ideas on. Been kinda hittin' a rut on what to do with Visitors lately, and I heard nerds like to talk to toys while programmin' computers to catch where they messed up the code or somethin'. Figured it was worth a shot." He shrugged.

  
"Fascinating..." Suit mumbled. Human behaviors have an odd quirk to them, though there can be logic to them, if a bit strange. He was about to open his mouth to speak more, but a familiar cackle interrupted him as Jouvor suddenly flew up and grabbed his arm, pulling at him like an excited toddler.

  
"C'mon, c'mon! It's been way too long since I got to destroy some brat's Nightopia!" Jouvor exclaimed with glee, his claws starting to dig into Suit's arm.

  
"It has been two nights." Suit retorted, prying the claws off, unamused.

  
"That's too long!!!" Jouvor shrieked with a stomp. "Let the kid play Babysitter or whatever and let's go have some fun!!!"

  
"I think you're confused as to who's doing the babysitting..." Suit sighed, pinching between his eyes, before following the overly excited Nightmaren to the realm of Nightopia. Val waited a few minutes to make sure he was actually alone, checking every possible corner and shadow carefully, before letting out a sigh, sitting in front of the case, looking at Blay. She was sat in her chair, completely still, with her hands laying in her lap.

  
"I dunno what you're really like or what you've done... But I don't think you deserved all of this..." He admitted with a sigh, looking at her with remorse. He wasn't sure if she could hear him or not through the glass, but he figured he may as well have someone to talk to...

  
\---

  
Blay could sense the other Nightmaren's hesitation. They probably weren't sure if she could hear him or not - But she heard every word. She listened to him intently, figuring that she could be the outlet that they desperately needed. It's not like she had anything else she could do, but this she didn't mind at all. She had seen them wander to her realm a few times. They always acted like they thought she didn't know that they were there, always keeping their distance and trying to hide in shadows. But she always knew when someone entered her realm. She didn't mind them, though. They didn't attack her - They were just curious.

  
Eventually, she was introduced to Val. He talked about what it was like being in Nightmare, terrorizing Visitors that were bullies to others, about how he was born Human, how he was bullied heavily by other kids because he was different. So he was another Half-Nightmaren? She wished she could tell him that he wasn't alone - That there was a whole group of them on the other side of this War. But her body remained silent and still, so she continued to just listen. He vented onto her for a long time, going on about his insecurities, his anger, his pain, his losses...

  
Suddenly, he stopped his train of thought, looking down at the ground for a few moments, before speaking up

  
"I've been talkin' so much 'bout me... But here I am, not knowing a thing about you..." He admitted, growing silent. Blay was surprised about this. He looked like he had so many questions, yet here she was without a means to give him answers. The two sat in silence for what seemed like an eternity, when he perked up, noticing a Shadow milling about aimlessly. With little warning, he grabbed the shadow, and muttered something to it, but he was too quiet for her to hear. She watched the Shadow disappear, and Val sat patiently, waiting for something...

  
\---

  
Val sat quietly, patiently waiting. He knew he was asking for a tall order, but he felt like he would be humored this. He looked up and watched the air distort as Mangetsu, the Vampire Lord of the Night Dimension, appeared before him.

  
"You wished to speak... to..." Mangetsu began, trailing off as he stared at the case in shock. Val couldn't tell if the shock was awe or distress. Maybe it was both? He opened his mouth to explain what had happened, but Mangetsu held up a hand to gently silence him. "I can get all of the details out of her, you do not need to worry..." His eyes began to glow with an eerie light, and Val looked between him and her. She suddenly began twitching rapidly, causing him to worry.

  
"H-Hey!" He exclaimed, but as quickly as it started, she calmed down and the light from Mangetsu's eyes dimmed.

  
"My apologies. The mask was... Trying to combat me while also keeping her under control... Resulting in those tremors you saw. The two of us have... A history... And it causes her to be quite fearful of me, so she was attempting to run for a moment..." He admitted calmly, grabbing the ends of his coat in a relaxed position.

  
"History..?" Val quietly questioned.

  
"In any case, I'll admit I am impressed with Draken's... Ingenuity for how to force traitors into place... Even if it lacks... Finesse..." A light grimace edged in one of the corners of his mouth, then looked down to Val. "That aside, I believe you have questions for her? She has agreed to allow me to relay her messages to you."

  
"She would agree to that despite fearing you?" Val questioned, raising an eye in skepticism.

  
"I'm not surprised you would question me." Mangetsu laughed, his fangs glistening. "She's not a fool, and knows me well enough to see past any deceptions I could make. If I volunteer to be a Medium for her, she knows I am good for my word." Val watched as he sat down in front of the case, lowering himself to be at a better level with the younger Nightmaren. He wanted to question how genuine Mangetsu was, but the Vampire Lord had a rather specific reputation - Skilled at twisting the truth, but never truly a liar.

  
"Fine..." Val sighed, before continuing. "Let's start with an easy one: What's her name?"

  
"These days she answers to Blay, though her birth name was Michaela." Mangetsu answered without missing a beat. The response made more questions for Val, though the vampire seemed to predict them with relative ease. "If you recall when I first brought you to Draken, he referred to you as another curiosity, yes? That is because you were the second one he encountered. She was the first curiosity - The first Half Nightmaren he had met."

  
"She's... Half Nightmaren..? Like me?" Val asked with widened eyes, looking at her. He was amazed, though he wasn't surprised he didn't realize that. He only saw her a couple of times, and she looked fully Nightmaren by the time he saw her.

  
"When she was a small child, I was her Nightmare. While I will no longer torment her as a Visitor, her fear from that time continues to linger. Quite understandable, truthfully. I synced very well to her, so I was very effective in weaving her nightmares. It was... Rare for me to find a Visitor I synced with so well... Several hundred years before her, at least... So I may have been over zealous in my work..." He admitted with a nervous chuckle, glancing to the side.

  
"If Nightmare scared her so much... Why'd she stay in the Night Dimension? It's not like she would have been able to see Nightopia if she had so many nightmares..." Val pondered. He watched Mangetsu's expression grow grim, slowly looking back at Blay. He was quiet for a few seconds, then solemnly nodded.

  
"It wasn't her choice to stay here... When she was still a young child , she found a strange door. It led to a place that was neither Nightopia nor Nightmare, and it trapped her there for... I believe five years."

  
"Five years..?" Val repeated, feeling his stomach churn. "How'd that happen? How'd she even escape? What if someone else goes in there?!" He had so many more questions, but he watched as Mangetsu held up his hand to get him to settle down.

  
"The exact details are... Blurry at best. She represses these memories with great force, so even I have difficulty reading them, but she has allowed me to have some info. At the time, she was sleeping as a Visitor, and when she went there, it closed off and wouldn't let her leave. I believe she was effectively sleeping and unable to wake. Eventually, her body seemed to disconnect from the Waking World, resulting her in only existing here in the Night Dimension..." He took a deep breath, before continuing. "As for her escape, she had some help from an... Extraordinary Nightmaren by the name of Jackle. By technicalities, he's considered to be a renegade as well, but he's nigh invulnerable, so no one dares try to attack him. He also made a point to destroy the door, so as to prevent more misfortune to happen."

  
"Huh..." Val was at a loss for words for a few moments, letting it all sink in. After a little bit, he came up with some more questions. "What does she typically do with her time? I don't really see her, much..." He starts trailing off.

  
"Except for the few times you've wandered into her Realm?" Mangetsu chuckles, watching Val suddenly get tense, like a child who was caught with his hand in the cookie jar. "She has always known you had entered. She just lets you sate your curiosity. She, too, enjoys exploring, though it seems like she's easily overwhelmed with how busy Nightopia is, and Nightmare feels too overbearing. So she commonly stays in her Realm. Though she appears to be learning how to read Tarot Cards from Jackle."

  
"She sounds like a really chill person... Someone who just likes to keep to herself... Keepin' out of people's way..." He comments, watching Mangetsu nod sagely. "So if that's the case, why's Draken in such a twist trying to get her to... Behave? What crime she commit that justified such... Harsh punishment..?" He looked over at Blay, who continued to sit perfectly still in the center of her case, then looked back at Mangetsu. The Vampire Lord's expression grew somber as he began to mutter to himself. He was clearly weighing SOMETHING in his mind, but what...

  
"You're bound to find out regardless, so I may as well tell you now..." He sighs, Val tilting his head with confusion. "She actively refuses to help Nightmare destroy Nightopia, so she is deemed a traitor in the eyes of Draken." Mangetsu watched as the rage he anticipated grew on Val's face.

  
"Are you KIDDING me?! She's bein' punished because she prefers to keep to HERSELF?! What kind of Bull is that???" He demands.

  
"It's not... Proper Nightmaren behavior, according to Draken..." Mangetsu let out a hard sigh. He knew he was just fueling a rebellion, but frankly... It was bound to happen anyways...

  
"Oh, so she's getting punished for bein' different. Ya know, that's the same kind of shit that humans pulled on me, and you're expectin' me to accept this like it's fine?!" Val spat out, his rage only growing. His fists were clenched tightly, and he was struggling to not punch something.

  
"I will be honest... I was expecting several rebellions when Draken decided to follow his predecessor's footsteps... I was just hoping I wouldn't be caught in the middle of it..." Mangetsu lamented.

  
"What're you talkin' about, followin' in footsteps? This happened before?"

  
"The previous ruler of Nightmare, Wizeman the Wicked. A remarkably ruthless God who despised the... Chaotic mess of Nightopia, and sought to turn everything to his Orderly image. Failure was commonly met with destruction, and Rebellion was met with... Destruction of the Mind... A removal of the consciousness, to be replaced with a new one" He hated being openly honest like this. He wanted to twist the truth, continue convincing the young Half Nightmaren to terrorize Visitors. But something was eating at him to be more transparent...

  
"How come you ain't doing your usual schtick? Kinda givin' me the truth, but in a way that sounds more appealin'?" Val questioned with a squint. He watched the older Vampire make another sigh.

  
"Once you had curiosity on Blay at the start, it was already too late. Had you never seen what she was like, you could have easily been kept in the dark. But you knew from the moment you saw her wearing that mask that something was wrong. I could have tried to dissuade you, but you're... Headstrong enough to seek out the truth regardless. There was nothing I could do to change your mind, and I decided to not bother..." He bit his lower lip, sounding defeated. His cards were on the table, and there was nothing he could do about it.

  
"Alright then... Now what?" Val asked with a huff. He had so much anger, but he didn't know what to do with it, simply glaring at Mangetsu.

  
"That will be up to you, young Val. However, you will also have to be mindful of any consequence your actions could face..."


	6. Escape

Darkness swirled in the eerie silence of Nightmare as Val sat in front of the glass case. He had been left alone to his thoughts for a while now, Mangetsu having decided he wanted nothing more to do with their earlier conversation. He felt like an absolute idiot, picking Nightmare's side just because a bunch of punk humans made his life hard for seemingly no reason. Now he was starting to see why that Nightmare part of him was so disliked. He let out a hard sigh, throwing a small pebble and watching it clatter across the ground. He forsake existing in the Waking World, so he couldn't go back there. He's really starting to dislike staying in Nightmare, but it's not like he could just go straight to Nightopia after terrorizing Visitors like nothing happened. It was the worst rock and hard place he had been stuck between yet.

  
Suddenly, he heard a regrettably familiar, shrill voice cursing loudly as the tattered form of Jouvor appeared from the left of the case, covered in a wide array of wounds, with Suit very close behind trying to patch them up with his usual unimpressed expression.

  
"He thinks he's so high 'n mighty, with that fancy dancin' stick of his! That stupid suit wearing bas-" He was soon interupted with his own pained yelp as Suit pulled out an icicle from his shoulder.

  
"Hold still, you'll make me rip your arm off like this." Suit responded curtly, tossing the ice aside, it shattering on impact, then continuing the first aid.

  
"And then there's frosty boy, there! Kid's supposta be skittish! Not impaling me with spears!" Jouvor continued to complain, letting out a frustrated grunt as Suit tightly tied a bandage around the impaled shoulder. Jouvor's gaze suddenly snapped towards the figure of Blay, who sat motionless in the chair, and he let out a snarl. With little warning, he pulled out of Suit's care and marched straight to the case, pushing Val out of the way.

  
"H-Hey!" The younger maren snapped as Jouvor tore the doors open and marched straight to Blay. His claws instantly lurched forward and grabbed her by her coat, lifting her to his eye level, her body remaining limp.

  
"It's yer fault, ya know, ya stupid brat! Had ya actually done yer JOB, they wouldn't've fought me! Ya know what happened when I mentioned ya to yer little boyfriend? Brat pelted me with ice spears! Kid had enough guts to fight ME, no thanks t'ya!" He snarled, smoke billowing from between his teeth.

  
"Jouvor." Suit snapped, trying to get the other's attention, but to no avail. The furious Nightmaren didn't seem to notice anything around him.

  
"Ya know, Boss told me that mask is part of yer face now. Fused to your skin like an egg on a pan." Jouvor remarked, a dangerously cruel grin snaking across his face. "Since ya decided to be up 'n useless, I think th' Boss'll appreciate watchin' ya squirm when I rip that sucker off ya." Before he could make another comment, Val's arm pushed between him and Blay, forcing him to let the helpless Nightmaren go. She fell straight back into her chair, albeit looking like she got bumped - No longer sitting in the delicate pose. "Wassat for, ya punk?!"

  
"Yer not touchin' her..." Val growled, glaring as he moved in between Jouvor and Blay.

  
\---

  
Suit was at a loss for words, staring at the situation in a shock. He didn't believe that young Val would take his role protecting Blay so seriously. Especially not to turn on someone as volatile as Jouvor. They weren't exactly known to get along, but never anything like this.

  
"Awww, lookit that! New kid's startin' to like the doll! What, ya think she's pretty?" Jouvor sneered, a small tuft of flame snaking from his mouth as he cracked his knuckles. Suit blinked, then cursed, realizing that Jouvor was being too much of a blind idiot to see it clearly.

  
Val had some of his old light back. It wasn't strong, compared to a Visitor, but the dull red glow Val had was more enough to make one thing clear; He had the Courage to stand up and fight those he would normally not stand a chance against.

  
"Yer not touchin' her." He simply repeated, staying unmoving. His eyes were narrowed into a focused glare.

  
"Looks like ya need to be put into place, Rookie!" Jouvor cackled with a mad glee, lunging with his claws ready. However, he was suddenly met to the face with a large, flat surface - Catapulting through the glass and tumbling behind Suit, who stared in awe at the situation at hand.

  
In mere milliseconds, Val had summoned an impressive war hammer, countering Jouvor with nothing but raw instinct. Suit looked down at Jouvor, who was sitting back up with a dazed expression, shaking his head clear. Back to Val, the young Maren had tensed into a battle pose, his war hammer at the ready.

  
"You are NOT touching her." Every word came out with a commanding force, making his intentions clear as crystal. A furious growl came from Jouvor, and Suit's eyes widened as he realized a fraction of a second too late what was happening.

  
"JOUVOR, DO NOT-" Suit screamed, summoning a Club as fast as he could. The Club quickly pinned Jouvor to the ground, but not before the furious Nightmaren spat a large fireball from his mouth, sending it careening towards Val. However, it exploded much earlier than anticipated. Suit let out a shocked gasp, followed by a sigh of relief as the smoke cleared revealing large skeletal hands shielding Val and Blay. The hands glowed with a sickly green, with Val's eyes matching, as they slowly dissipated.

  
"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!" Lord Draken's voice echoed with a furious power.

  
Oh no...

  
\---

  
Draken's voice caused Val to snap back to his senses. In an adrenaline high, he had summoned a new weapon and powers he didn't realize he had. He had always done some skeletal scares when going after Visitors, but nothing to this level. He dismissed the war hammer with a surprising ease as he watched Draken appear and get the details from Suit. However, he couldn't be bothered to care about what Draken had said - All he needed to know was that Suit commanded his Club to drag Jouvor away. He tried to calm himself as Draken approached him. He knew that he couldn't win a fight against the King of Nightmare. But he couldn't help the angry tremors in his arms as he watched Draken approach.

  
"While I cannot say I approve of the mess that was made..." Draken commented sternly, looking at the shards of broken glass that laid on the ground with a disapproving glare. "I suppose the circumstances couldn't really have been avoided, so I must thank you for preventing Jouvor from making such a foolish decision without my explicit permission." Draken was then silent for a few moments, carefully reading Val's reaction. He was probably expecting some kind of response, but the young Maren couldn't be bothered to say anything to him. He suddenly tensed as a hand gently placed on his shoulder, and he turned to see Blay being puppeted to hold his shoulder in a comforting manner.

  
He didn't understand why, but he could swear he could see through the mask. A peak at what she was truly feeling under that blank mask controlling her every movement. She seemed sad for him...

  
"I understand that your passion must be running hot. Sudden action during a time of stillness can be quite jarring." Draken continued, though Val couldn't be bothered to pay too much attention to him. He noticed something else, a strange spot in the mask itself, as if just below the surface. A tiny crosspoint in the center, right above that unsettling smile.  
It was shaped just like the sticks used to control puppets.

  
"If you have chosen to guard her so closely, you best calm yourself for her sake. She would be upset to see you in such an agitated state, and I don't believe you wish to disappoint her like this..." Draken continued in an eerie calmness, attempting to use Val's emotional state to his advantage.

  
"Yer right... I don't wanna disappoint her..." Val muttered, before suddenly slamming his palm directly onto the crosspoint, the mask cracking instantly from the impact.

  
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Draken demanded before being crushed in place between two massive skeletal hands. Vals eyes glowed that sickly green as he carefully caught Blay as her body collapsed. The mask still continued to prevent her from moving on her own, but he broke the part that puppeted it, cutting the strings. He delicately picked her up, looking back at the furious king.

  
"It's like ya said; I don't wanna disappoint her. So I'm gonna take her back home, out of this garbage heap." He responded curtly, disappearing to Nightopia before Draken broke free from his bonds with an explosion of power. A booming, enraged scream echoed through Nightmare, but to no avail.

  
\---

  
Flai paced back and forth restlessly, carefully cradling the Ideya that Blay had entrusted to him.

  
"Are you still sure there's nothing we can do?" Sharem's voice cried out, looking up to the serene Nightrix. He let out a sigh, a soft ding sound as he tilted and caused his Core to bounce along the walls within his bell-like head.

  
"I understand your sense of urgency, young Sharem..." He started, looking down at her, before looking at the huddled figure of Jackle. "But I'm afraid until his mind returns to a sense of normalcy, you would stand very little chance against the forces of Nightmare..."

  
Jackle had been in a state for several days, muttering incoherently and unmoving. Every so often, they would hear a mention of "She needs me" or "You can do nothing" or similar, but they had no means to figure out what was causing him this distress - Nor how to bring him back.

  
"I still don't think things'll really get better if we don't do anything!" Sharem whined. She wanted to do something so bad, but she had to admit that Nightrix was right.  
"Nightrix told us that something unexpected will happen that will return her to us safely..." Blouv commented sternly, cleaning off stringy remains of what he clipped from Jouvor's cape from his scythe. "Even if he is unable to tell when that will happen, the best we can do is trust that it will." Suddenly, Nightrix looked to a nearby spot with a soft dinging, an aura about him hinting that he was pleased.

  
"I believe it is happening sooner than you would think..." He responds with a hint of glee as a Nightmaren suddenly materialized before them. Their horns were fashioned like they were wearing a skull, and they were dressed like a classic punk. They were breathing heavily, as if coming down from an adrenaline rush.

  
And they were holding the limp body of Blay in their arms, the mask they saw her wearing earlier having large cracks webbing from the center.

  
"BLAY!" Flai exclaimed in worry, rushing towards them with little thought. The Nightmaren reflexively raised their shoulder, turning slightly like a shield.

  
"Ay, ay, slow down. She's alright, fer the most part, but she ain't gonna be able to move on her own so long as this mask stays on her..." They commented, looking uncomfortable at the mention of it.

  
"Th-Then we gotta get it off of her!" Flai stammered, but something in his gut prevented him from trying it. He watched them make a hard sigh.

  
"That's the tricky part..." They admitted, then looked up at Nightrix. There was something... Familiar and comforting about him, despite him somewhat resembling Draken in appearance. They approached the tall being calmly, looking up at him before looking back down at Blay. "Draken made this sick mask so that it wouldn't come off... It's burnt to her face so it'd rip her skin off if it was removed... I need to help her somehow..." They admitted, Sharem making a horrified gasp to the news. Nightrix knelt down, looking at the both of them with calm eyes.

  
"I believe I will be able to assist her recovery..." Nightrix calmly states, then slowly looks to Jackle off to the side. "... But I will need his help to insure she heals properly..." The Nightmaren followed Nightrix's gaze to look at Jackle, tilting their head silently for a couple seconds, then walked over. They gave the huddled Mantle a few firm shoves with his foot.

  
"Oi! Yer Jackle, right?" They ask loudly. Somehow, this was enough to clear the fog from Jackle's mind, who blinked a couple of times before looking at the one shoving him with befuddlement.

  
"Y-Yes, I am-" He interrupted himself with a loud gasp as he noticed Blay in the Nightmaren's arms, immediately reaching out to hold her. They didn't stop him, carefully handing her off, watching Jackle cradle her like a baby. "My dear... My poor child... What did they do to you..?" He mumbled in distress, reaching for a segment of the mask.

  
"Be careful with that. It's burnt to her face. That one says that ya can help heal her of that." They comment, gesturing at Nightrix. Jackle looked between the two, making a hard swallow. Nightrix simply nodded in reassurement.

  
"I... I guess we better get started with that..." Jackle commented, slightly unsure, but willing to try. He stood up and floated over to Nightrix, and the three of them vanished. The skulled Nightmaren suddenly let out a loud sigh of relief, relaxing their shoulders, before looking to the rest of the group.

  
"Got room in your li'l group for one more? I may'a, uh... May'a attacked Draken while gettin' her... Pretty sure that makes me a traitor to Nightmare er somethin' like that, now..." They chuckled awkwardly, scratching the back of their head. Sharem clapped with delight, shapeshifting into a cat and jumping on top of their head.

  
"Of course, you're welcome! We've been needing more friends!" She chimed happily.

  
"Sharem, get off of their head. That is quite rude." Blouv states curtly, letting out a sigh.

  
"But look! They're just like us, aren't they? I can tell!" She giggles, pawing at the top of their head.

  
"H-Huh?" They question, watching Blouv walk up and grab Sharem by the scruff of her now furred neck.

  
"That may be true, but it still doesn't excuse your behavior." He responds, letting Sharem go before looking at the Nightmaren. "You are Half-Nightmaren, correct? Born human then came here?" He asks with little warning, catching them by surprise.

  
"Uh, y-yeah. Th' name's Val..." They seemed to hesitate saying their name.

  
"Not fond of your name?" Blouv asked, catching quite quickly.

  
"It's... Just I've always gone by that while I was getting in trouble in the Waking World... And I was going by that while I was causing trouble for Nightmare, too... I'm kinda tired of it..."

  
"Why not make a new name?" Flai suggested hesitantly, jumping slightly as they suddenly looked up at him for clarification.

  
"All of us kinda just... Changed our names over time! Like, I was Summer, but now I go by Sharem!" She giggles, suddenly popping with light and transforming back to their Nightmaren form. "Granted, not all of us have negative memories with our names. It's just... Something about the names we come up with feels right." She mused.

  
"Is that so..? I might think of somethin', then..."


End file.
